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Summary: The final phase of a long-term Canadian study is raising doubts about mammography's value. However, U.S. experts who are familiar with those results and other studies still insist mammography saves lives.

By Nancy Josephson Liff | Posted: February 12, 2014

File this under: What are you supposed to make of these findings?

In what some are calling either "the most meticulous" or "the most controversial" study of mammography ever, a new report from Canadian researchers is raising doubts about mammography's value.

However, U.S. experts who responded to the latest research said they were already familiar with the Canadian findings. They added that other research continues to show that mammography saves lives.

The Canadian study appeared Tuesday in the British Medical Journal. In it, the north-of-the-border scientists published findings from the final phase of a long-term investigation.

The study followed more than 90,000 women who participated in research at 15 centers throughout Canada over a 25-year period.

According to Canadian scientists, their findings show that Canadian women, ages 40 to 59, who had mammograms at regular intervals during the study period showed no appreciable benefit over those who didn't.

In fact, cancer rates and the number of deaths in both groups in the controlled study were roughly equal.

Among the 44,925 women who had mammograms, researchers identified about 3,200 breast cancer cases. About 500 of those patients died.

Of the 44,910 women who had no mammography over the study period, about 3,100 were diagnosed via standard physical examinations. Approximately 500 of those participants died.

In an interview from his office in Philadelphia, Dr. Richard C. Wender, MD, chief cancer control officer at American Cancer Society, responded to concerns that the findings might be confusing to older and younger women.

The physician noted that many U.S. healthcare providers were already familiar with the Canadian findings. The latest publication represents the 25-year follow up, he said.

He called the study an "outlier compared to every other study involving women over 50."

And "almost every other study looking at women under 50 has shown a reduction in death rates as a result of mammography," Dr. Wender said.

"Every guideline group, including the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, has already analyzed the results of the Canadian study when writing their own guidelines," Dr. Wender added. "All guideline groups agree that when you combine the results of all of the studies, the evidence shows that mammography saves lives."

A fact sheet on the website for the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health also states that screening mammography "can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer" among women ages 40 to 70. The site recommends screening mammograms every one to two years for women age 40-plus.

The question that remains now is what are you supposed to do about mammography? Should you continue to book appointments? Adopt another plan?

The best advice for women: Do your research. Make the best decision based on your risk factors and family history. Also, get input from a trusted doctor. For more info on the Canadian study, click here.

Will you put off an appointment based on what this study says about mammography's value? In the space below, tell us what you plan to do — and why.